Allison Hanes: Census reveals the new normal of Canadian life

A third of Canadians now live alone, more than a third of young adults still live with their parents and a growing proportion of same-sex couples are married. This is a glimpse of the new normal in Canada.

The nuclear family — a married mom and dad with kids — is no longer the norm in Canada today.

For the first time in our history, more of us live alone than in traditional families. And an equal proportion of households are made up of couples with no kids as couples with children.

The latest release of data from the 2016 Census traces the evolution of the modern Canadian family. It holds a mirror to who we are and how we live. And this particular snapshot shows that the new normal is that there is no “normal” anymore.

There are more single dads than ever before, more Millennials living with their parents, and more same-sex couples — married and common law, with children and without. We are not only more diverse culturally and linguistically, according to Statistics Canada we are also more diverse in our living arrangements.

Nearly two thirds live with two biological or adoptive parents while 19 per cent live with a single parent and 6 per cent with a parent and step-parent. Three per cent of Canadian children live with a single dad, a figure that has been rising since years past; while 15 per cent live with single moms.

In Quebec, nearly a third of kids live with one parent or a step parent. The older a kid gets, the more likely this becomes; 42 per cent of children age 10 to 14 live in a single-parent or blended household compared to 23 per cent of Quebec children under 4.

This is believed to be a result of Quebecers’ ongoing preference for common law relationships. Some 40 per cent of Quebec couples are unmarried, versus 21 per cent in Canada as a whole. Even among same-sex couples in Quebec, marriage is not as common as it is among same-sex couples elsewhere in the country. Only 22 per cent have tied the knot in Quebec since same-sex marriage was legalized across Canada in 2005, versus a third in the rest of the country.

There are now 72,000 same-sex couples in Canada, a full 1 per cent of all couples nationally. And about 12 per cent of those same-sex couples were parents in 2016, up from 8 per cent in 2001, with biological, step- and adopted children comprising their families.

The census also tells the story of generational shifts.

Nationwide, a record 28 per cent of households consist of a single person; in Quebec the rate is an astounding 33 per cent, the highest in Canada. The share of Canadians living by themselves has quadrupled since the mid-20th century, from just under two per cent of the total population in 1951 to 14 per cent in 2016.

Seniors are more likely to be living alone than younger Canadians, as a result of greying Baby Boomers, divorce, the number of women in the work force and longer life expectancies.

Meanwhile 34 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 34 are still living at home. It’s a trend that’s been creeping up for years, given dimmer job prospects and the rise of the gig economy. As Millennials bounce between short-term contracts, it becomes harder to find a stable income to gain their full independence. On top of that, soaring real-estate prices and tight rental markets in many cities make it harder for young adults to move out on their own, especially compared to when their parents were their age.

The census highlights disparities in the opportunities for Millennials compared to the prospects of retiring Baby Boomers. It also illustrates the plight of the generation sandwiched in between. With their children remaining in the nest longer, and aging parents who are increasingly isolated, the middle-aged demographic is caught up in caring for both. As a result, multi-generational households are the fastest growing type in Canada, even though they still only account for just 2.9 per cent.

So what does our reflection in the census looking glass tell us about ourselves?

Not only are we getting older, we are maturing in other ways too. We are a profoundly open and tolerant society. We are as diverse in background as we are in lifestyle. We are more alone, but still reliant on each other. We are free to live how we want and love whom we want.

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